Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hood for a vehicle made of a composite material including a reinforcing fiber and resin.
Description of the Related Art
Metal such as steel and aluminum is generally used for the hoods of vehicles. As it has become necessary to reduce the weight of vehicles with the enhancement of environmental regulations around the world, the metallic materials used for parts of vehicles have been replaced by light composite materials, and particularly, carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) is used as a composite material for vehicles due to its light weight, high specific strength, and high specific rigidity.
However, the mechanical properties of CFRP may be advantageous in terms of rigidity, but are not advantageous in terms of the safety of pedestrians. Due to the high rigidity of CFRP, when a vehicle collides with a pedestrian, the pedestrian may injured due to a high HIC (Head Injury Criterion). As a result, CFRP cannot be directly applied to the hoods of vehicles.
This problem can be solved by changing the mechanical properties of CFRP by making the stacking angles of carbon fiber layers different and by making desired hood shapes through optimization of topometry. Accordingly, it is possible to secure mechanical properties that fit the design objectives and reduce HIC by optimizing the stacking angle of a carbon fiber array and topometry.
The foregoing is intended merely to aid in the understanding of the background of the present invention, and is not intended to mean that the present invention falls within the purview of the related art that is already known to those skilled in the art.